A Thai passenger recounted his experience aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following an alleged attack on the Indian captain by his co-pilot.
The incident occurred on September 30, when Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai at about 7.05am UAE time for Tel Aviv with 182 people on board. Nearly two and a half hours into the flight, an emergency signal was activated after the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, dropping from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was seriously injured after allegedly being attacked by his co-pilot inside the cockpit. Despite his injuries, Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and restrain the co-pilot.
Other pilots travelling on the aircraft then helped regain control of the plane. The flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made a safe emergency landing.
Most passengers on the flight were reportedly Israeli nationals. Thai passenger Weerawat Rugpan said on Facebook that he was the only Thai passenger aboard the aircraft and shared photographs and videos from the incident.
Weerawat also recorded a selfie video after the situation had been brought under control. He later told ThaiRath that he remained frightened by what had happened.
According to Weerawat, the aircraft dropped very quickly and several passengers were thrown from their seats. He said the incident happened after passengers had eaten and that many people were not wearing their seatbelts.
Passengers reportedly screamed and cried during the incident. Weerawat said he also cried three times after the immediate situation had ended.
Weerawat said he had difficulty sharing his feelings because most of the passengers were Israeli. He nevertheless praised the Israeli passengers for being friendly and caring, saying they repeatedly asked whether he was alright and stayed with him after seeing that he was travelling alone as a foreigner.
He said he was the only foreigner and Thai citizen on the aircraft that day.
After the cockpit door was opened, cabin crew members reportedly asked passengers with medical experience to assist the injured captain. Weerawat said it took about 30 minutes to bring the situation under control.
The Thai passenger also rejected claims by some Thai social media users that the incident was staged. He said he had been on the aircraft and did not believe the incident was staged.
Weerawat further told ThaiRath that he had searched for additional information about the case and claimed that the co-pilot had previously planned to carry out a similar act but cancelled his flight after learning that a friend would be travelling on the same aircraft. This claim has not been independently established in the supplied report.
Weerawat said images from the incident remained in his mind. He planned to undergo a mental health assessment for further treatment and to obtain a certificate that he could use when seeking compensation from the airline and the relevant government department.
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